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Moonbath
The award-winning saga of a peasant family living in a small Haitian village, told through four generations of voices, recounting through stories of tradition and superstition, voodoo and the new gods, romance and violence, the lives of the women who struggled to hold the family together in an ever-shifting landscape of political turmoil and economic suffering.
215 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 11, 2014
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1177 people want to read
About the author
Yanick Lahens
21 books56 followersYanick Lahens lives in Haiti. She was born in Port au Prince before moving to France where she was educated at the Sorbonne. Her writing is uncompromising in its portrayal of life in the Caribbean. She occupies a very particular position in Haitian literature, because of her independence of spirit as a writer and the authority she has gained from her engagement on the ground. Alongside Dany Laferrière and Lionel Trouillot she is one of Haiti’s most prominent authors. Professor of literature, she dedicates a large part of her time to a foundation set up to train young Haitians in sustainable development.
This novel was first published as La Coleur de l’aube by Sabine Wespieser Editeur, which won the RFO 2009 award, Prix littéraire Richelieu de la Francophonie 2009 and Prix Millepages 2008. She also won the Leipzig Book Fair 2002 Literaturpreis. She has published another novel, Dans la maison du père (Le Serpent à plumes, 2000), and books of essays on place (particularly Haiti).
(from http://www.serenbooks.com/author/yani...)
This novel was first published as La Coleur de l’aube by Sabine Wespieser Editeur, which won the RFO 2009 award, Prix littéraire Richelieu de la Francophonie 2009 and Prix Millepages 2008. She also won the Leipzig Book Fair 2002 Literaturpreis. She has published another novel, Dans la maison du père (Le Serpent à plumes, 2000), and books of essays on place (particularly Haiti).
(from http://www.serenbooks.com/author/yani...)
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 48 reviews
June 22, 2021
RATING: It hurts but I’m going to give this book three stars. I know it’s written by one of Haiti’s foremost authors, and I know it’s probably an academically brilliant book that can be studied in English literature classes. However, it left me cold and I really struggled to get to the end. It’s so important to caveat that I am not the intended reader for this work. It contains so many subtle references to Haitian culture and history, which I struggled to pick up on and would not have the same resonance for me as for a reader from the Caribbean. In some ways, I feel bad giving it a star rating at all. But this is my blog, and I have to be honest and share my own views.
GOOD BITS: There are great aspects to this book. Firstly, I liked the communal narration, which felt like an Ancient Greek chorus. They are witnesses to the destruction of a noble family, but cannot affect the action. Secondly, I liked the infusion of voudou spiritualism which is central to Haitian culture, and is so prevalent in the descriptions and atmosphere within the novel. And, finally, I don’t think the core plot is bad – it’s not an action-packed novel, but the point is that the community is witness to big historical events, which completely change their way of life yet have no real impact on them. The fact that nothing changes isn’t the bad thing, but unfortunately we don’t have characters to compensate for the lack of action.
NOT SO GOOD BITS: It felt like I was viewing this novel from behind a frosted window. I had to read each word so slowly and carefully, because the meaning was deliberately obscured by metaphorical (and, in fairness, beautiful) language. Similarly, it was like the characters were shadows. I knew there were characters of interest and substance, but we never got to know them. They didn’t have a lot of dialogue, they didn’t make choices, they just “were” and it seemed like events were happening around them. The second half of the book picked up as we saw the consequences of Orvil, Fénelon and Léosthène’s choices and how they developed as people. But, it was sad that main characters like Olmène and Tertulien faded away into nothing.
Read my full review on aminasbookshelf.com / IG @aminasbookshelf
GOOD BITS: There are great aspects to this book. Firstly, I liked the communal narration, which felt like an Ancient Greek chorus. They are witnesses to the destruction of a noble family, but cannot affect the action. Secondly, I liked the infusion of voudou spiritualism which is central to Haitian culture, and is so prevalent in the descriptions and atmosphere within the novel. And, finally, I don’t think the core plot is bad – it’s not an action-packed novel, but the point is that the community is witness to big historical events, which completely change their way of life yet have no real impact on them. The fact that nothing changes isn’t the bad thing, but unfortunately we don’t have characters to compensate for the lack of action.
NOT SO GOOD BITS: It felt like I was viewing this novel from behind a frosted window. I had to read each word so slowly and carefully, because the meaning was deliberately obscured by metaphorical (and, in fairness, beautiful) language. Similarly, it was like the characters were shadows. I knew there were characters of interest and substance, but we never got to know them. They didn’t have a lot of dialogue, they didn’t make choices, they just “were” and it seemed like events were happening around them. The second half of the book picked up as we saw the consequences of Orvil, Fénelon and Léosthène’s choices and how they developed as people. But, it was sad that main characters like Olmène and Tertulien faded away into nothing.
Read my full review on aminasbookshelf.com / IG @aminasbookshelf
January 26, 2016
Une lecture plutôt envoûtante, particulièrement au début. J'ai bien aimé le style, et cette façon de mélanger les générations, et ce "nous" aussi, même si parfois j'étais un peu perdue. Au bout d'un moment je me suis un peu lassée, et j'ai été légèrement déçue par la fin, avec des personnages qui ont moins de nuances que n'en avaient Olmène et Tertulien par exemple, qui étaient plutôt fascinants, à côté d'eux Jimmy fait pâlot et cliché.
Au final c'est une lecture que j'ai appréciée, particulièrement au début, avec une ambiance vraiment particulière.
Au final c'est une lecture que j'ai appréciée, particulièrement au début, avec une ambiance vraiment particulière.
November 21, 2017
I wanted to read this book mainly because I saw that Russell Banks had written an introduction for it. If he thought that much of it, it must be good . I hadn’t heard of Yanick Lahens, and I knew nothing about the book, except that it was set in Haiti during the Duvalier years.
It turned out to be a great book. Here’s my experience of reading it.
Lahens does give you an experience, not just a story. What I mean by that is that she manages to embed her story inside a much bigger picture of the history of Haiti, the culture of a small Haitian village, and the feel of living in a world where power is something you can only reckon with, but never wield.
She follows a family in the village of Anse Bleue through several generations. The narrator, Cétoute Florival, tells her story, interspersed with the story of three generations before her — her father, Dieudonné Dorival, Dieudonné’s mother, Olmène Dorival, and father, Tertulien Mésidor, and Olmène’s father, Orvil Clémestal. All is set against the background of Haitian history, in particular, the Duvalier era and its fall in 1986.
Life in Anse Bleue is small village life, distant on a day to day level from the politics and life of the big cities, like Port-au-Prince and Cap Haitien. The villagers’ world is populated with spirits and gods, and with offerings and considerations for their favor suffusing everyday life. But the villagers’ lives are subject to huge forces outside of their control — a bigger world of wealth and power always wielded by others, out of their reach.
The people of Anse Bleue have no voice in that bigger world. Orvil, the leader of the village, knows that. He does his best for his village, but he knows that he is powerless on the bigger scale. And that bigger scale will have its due — Anse Bleue may have no voice in the politics of Haiti, but it suffers the consequences.
Duvalier, like all the forces of wealth and power in Haiti, creates a dividing line for people like those of Anse Bleue. Jumping over the divide, to ride with those forces, as Orvil’s son, Fénelon does, has rewards — it’s an escape from day to day survival. But it means parting ways with the morals and the community you grew up with.
It’s a temptation, a bargain with the devil. People usually regret those. But not making the bargain still means suffering the oppressions and the vulnerability of day to day survival.
The generations in Lahens’ story make their choices about how to relate themselves to the powers that loom over them. Fénelon makes that deal with the devil, allying himself with Duvalier’s thugs. His sister Olmène makes her own deal, bearing her children with a relatively wealthy traditional family, the Mésidors. Lahens describes Olmène’s thoughts toward the man who would become the father of her children — “In her there was neither fear nor desire nor hate, but the expectations of a young sixteen-year-old peasant to whom a man was going to offer a roof that wouldn’t leak, children he would take care of, who would eat every day.”
You get the picture of a people, the villagers, living with a gap above them, separating them from a better life, with the gap bridgeable by one of these bargains — moral bargains and big life risks. Cétoute’s father, Dieudonné, has the makings of someone who will not make that bargain, and you want him not to, but getting across the gap is so much harder without it.
Cétoute herself makes her own reckoning, and we only really find out about it and what the consequences are at the end of the story.
As I read the book, I really did feel like I was getting an experience of Anse Bleue. I couldn’t help but feel a kind of wistful attraction to life among the spirits and gods in the village. But its poverty and vulnerability are so apparent and so oppressive. You can fight the good fight for everyday survival. Or you can strike your bargain, pay the price of all you will lose, and just hope it doesn’t turn back hard against you.
You would like to ally yourself with the people who resist the bargain, but it’s much easier to do that when it isn’t real. Lahens makes it real enough that it’s not so simple to see what to do.
At the same time that I saw these big themes of power and oppression, the book is really about Haiti and Haitian life. I’d like to think I learned something about what it’s like to live a life there.
It turned out to be a great book. Here’s my experience of reading it.
Lahens does give you an experience, not just a story. What I mean by that is that she manages to embed her story inside a much bigger picture of the history of Haiti, the culture of a small Haitian village, and the feel of living in a world where power is something you can only reckon with, but never wield.
She follows a family in the village of Anse Bleue through several generations. The narrator, Cétoute Florival, tells her story, interspersed with the story of three generations before her — her father, Dieudonné Dorival, Dieudonné’s mother, Olmène Dorival, and father, Tertulien Mésidor, and Olmène’s father, Orvil Clémestal. All is set against the background of Haitian history, in particular, the Duvalier era and its fall in 1986.
Life in Anse Bleue is small village life, distant on a day to day level from the politics and life of the big cities, like Port-au-Prince and Cap Haitien. The villagers’ world is populated with spirits and gods, and with offerings and considerations for their favor suffusing everyday life. But the villagers’ lives are subject to huge forces outside of their control — a bigger world of wealth and power always wielded by others, out of their reach.
The people of Anse Bleue have no voice in that bigger world. Orvil, the leader of the village, knows that. He does his best for his village, but he knows that he is powerless on the bigger scale. And that bigger scale will have its due — Anse Bleue may have no voice in the politics of Haiti, but it suffers the consequences.
Duvalier, like all the forces of wealth and power in Haiti, creates a dividing line for people like those of Anse Bleue. Jumping over the divide, to ride with those forces, as Orvil’s son, Fénelon does, has rewards — it’s an escape from day to day survival. But it means parting ways with the morals and the community you grew up with.
It’s a temptation, a bargain with the devil. People usually regret those. But not making the bargain still means suffering the oppressions and the vulnerability of day to day survival.
The generations in Lahens’ story make their choices about how to relate themselves to the powers that loom over them. Fénelon makes that deal with the devil, allying himself with Duvalier’s thugs. His sister Olmène makes her own deal, bearing her children with a relatively wealthy traditional family, the Mésidors. Lahens describes Olmène’s thoughts toward the man who would become the father of her children — “In her there was neither fear nor desire nor hate, but the expectations of a young sixteen-year-old peasant to whom a man was going to offer a roof that wouldn’t leak, children he would take care of, who would eat every day.”
You get the picture of a people, the villagers, living with a gap above them, separating them from a better life, with the gap bridgeable by one of these bargains — moral bargains and big life risks. Cétoute’s father, Dieudonné, has the makings of someone who will not make that bargain, and you want him not to, but getting across the gap is so much harder without it.
Cétoute herself makes her own reckoning, and we only really find out about it and what the consequences are at the end of the story.
As I read the book, I really did feel like I was getting an experience of Anse Bleue. I couldn’t help but feel a kind of wistful attraction to life among the spirits and gods in the village. But its poverty and vulnerability are so apparent and so oppressive. You can fight the good fight for everyday survival. Or you can strike your bargain, pay the price of all you will lose, and just hope it doesn’t turn back hard against you.
You would like to ally yourself with the people who resist the bargain, but it’s much easier to do that when it isn’t real. Lahens makes it real enough that it’s not so simple to see what to do.
At the same time that I saw these big themes of power and oppression, the book is really about Haiti and Haitian life. I’d like to think I learned something about what it’s like to live a life there.
August 16, 2025
A multigenerational story of the LaFleur/Clémestal/Dorival family, and the Mésidors they have been feuding with for generations.
I liked this book, it fits into Haitian history and I learned more reading this right after Love, Anger, Madness: A Haitian Trilogy. It also had some holes though, and I am not 100% clear on exactly what happened (and why) to the woman who washed up on the beach. Also, the Glossary is sloppy--words have asterisks in the text but are not in the glossary, or they are spelled slightly differently. This has nothing to do with the author, this is on the publisher.
———
Orvil Clémestal is the head of their lakou, and he looks back to the franginen ancestor and to the lwas for advice. He is a good man, a hard worker who fulfills his duties. But Haiti is changing, and his children have chosen different paths. One son has left the country to work. One son joined Duvalier's regime. Their daughter, after having a son by a much-older Mésidor, goes to the Dominican Republic to work. People are hungry, drought is bad, the rich get richer, who will take over Orvil's position?
Meanwhile, a woman has washed up on the beach in a Haitian town. She tells the second half of the story. Don't read the back of the book though! It gives away her identity.
I liked this book, it fits into Haitian history and I learned more reading this right after Love, Anger, Madness: A Haitian Trilogy. It also had some holes though, and I am not 100% clear on exactly what happened (and why) to the woman who washed up on the beach. Also, the Glossary is sloppy--words have asterisks in the text but are not in the glossary, or they are spelled slightly differently. This has nothing to do with the author, this is on the publisher.
———
Orvil Clémestal is the head of their lakou, and he looks back to the franginen ancestor and to the lwas for advice. He is a good man, a hard worker who fulfills his duties. But Haiti is changing, and his children have chosen different paths. One son has left the country to work. One son joined Duvalier's regime. Their daughter, after having a son by a much-older Mésidor, goes to the Dominican Republic to work. People are hungry, drought is bad, the rich get richer, who will take over Orvil's position?
Meanwhile, a woman has washed up on the beach in a Haitian town. She tells the second half of the story. Don't read the back of the book though! It gives away her identity.
March 23, 2016
Un roman qui nous emmène en voyage. J'ai retrouvé beaucoup de similitudes avec les romanciers sud-américains dans la façon de dérouler un arbre généalogique dans un monde magique et exotique. L'insertion de mots créoles ajoute au dépaysement. Le livre est bien écrit, mais je me suis un peu ennuyée au début, avant que l'histoire ne rattrape la fiction. Au final c'est une belle fresque sur l'histoire d'Haïti même si je suis restée sur ma faim concernant ce qui était arrivé au personnage de la jeune-fille.
January 19, 2015
Bain de lune, bain dans les eaux d'Haïti. Trois générations d'hommes et de femmes traversent une île morcelée. Morcelée par les querelles de famille, les prises de pouvoirs, les passions et les croyances.
Le roman nous présente une Haïti à la fois fidèle aux représentations que nous nous en faisons, mais nous montre, de façon subtile, si subtile, toute la beauté et l'horreur du pays.
Bain de lune, c'est un peu le Cent ans de solitude Haïtien. Plus noir et qui rit plus fort.
Le roman nous présente une Haïti à la fois fidèle aux représentations que nous nous en faisons, mais nous montre, de façon subtile, si subtile, toute la beauté et l'horreur du pays.
Bain de lune, c'est un peu le Cent ans de solitude Haïtien. Plus noir et qui rit plus fort.
May 6, 2024
The most incomplete published work I’ve ever read. A shame, too, because I thought the story could have been rather touching, if not interesting. Hugely disappointed in the translators and the editors. Almost unreadable.
2.5 out of solidarity for Lahens, who isn’t at fault for such a butchered English edition.
2.5 out of solidarity for Lahens, who isn’t at fault for such a butchered English edition.
July 6, 2025
3.5
une très belle plume qui a su me faire découvrir toutes les aspérités de Haïti.
une fresque familiale envoûtante, ensorcelante et touchante.
la pudeur de la plume nous fait ressentir des choses profondes. je continuerai de découvrir l’autrice :)
une très belle plume qui a su me faire découvrir toutes les aspérités de Haïti.
une fresque familiale envoûtante, ensorcelante et touchante.
la pudeur de la plume nous fait ressentir des choses profondes. je continuerai de découvrir l’autrice :)
October 29, 2020
la novel.la m'ha costat una mica perquè té uns 100 personatges i sovint em costava identificar qui era qui. L'he llegit amb paper i llapis i llavors ho he entès tot i m'ha agradat profundament. L'autora facilita un arbre genealògic dels principals personatges però aquests es creuen, el temps canvia i així es va teixint una història que al final té tot el sentit.
A banda dels personatges, m'ha agradat molt la prosa poètica amb que està escrit. N'extrec dos paràgrafs entre molts d'altres:
"M'agrada el mar, es seu misteri. De tant examinar el mar, sempre he cregut que un dia faria sorgir damunt l'escuma tota la cohort dels homes i dones que dormen dintre el seu ventre, sobre llits d'algues i coralls". (pàg. 179)
"El mar brilla. Cada onada com una munió de mirallets brandats suaument sota la lluna (pàg. 123)
També he trobat molt encertat que la narradora sigui una morta i com els personatges tenen present les diferents divinitats i cerimònies, segurament dutes a Haití d'Àfrica i transformades al llarg del temps.
Dit això, no puc passar per alt la pèssima traducció impròpia de Quaderns Crema. Diu que l'ha traduït del francès, la Núria Petit. Però això no pot ser veritat pels castellanismes illegibles que conté. Una mostra:
Cau a regne sola (pàg. 17)
Ens agusava la curiositat (pàg. 17)
Havia posat peres al quarto (pàg. 147)
La miraven per damunt de l'espatlla (pàg. 147)
I la perla:
Sense veure el que passava a ulls veients (pàg. 199) Bravo!
Confiem que si mai la reediten, facin un correcció complerta.
A banda dels personatges, m'ha agradat molt la prosa poètica amb que està escrit. N'extrec dos paràgrafs entre molts d'altres:
"M'agrada el mar, es seu misteri. De tant examinar el mar, sempre he cregut que un dia faria sorgir damunt l'escuma tota la cohort dels homes i dones que dormen dintre el seu ventre, sobre llits d'algues i coralls". (pàg. 179)
"El mar brilla. Cada onada com una munió de mirallets brandats suaument sota la lluna (pàg. 123)
També he trobat molt encertat que la narradora sigui una morta i com els personatges tenen present les diferents divinitats i cerimònies, segurament dutes a Haití d'Àfrica i transformades al llarg del temps.
Dit això, no puc passar per alt la pèssima traducció impròpia de Quaderns Crema. Diu que l'ha traduït del francès, la Núria Petit. Però això no pot ser veritat pels castellanismes illegibles que conté. Una mostra:
Cau a regne sola (pàg. 17)
Ens agusava la curiositat (pàg. 17)
Havia posat peres al quarto (pàg. 147)
La miraven per damunt de l'espatlla (pàg. 147)
I la perla:
Sense veure el que passava a ulls veients (pàg. 199) Bravo!
Confiem que si mai la reediten, facin un correcció complerta.
October 15, 2017
This novel, a story of one woman that is also the tale of a family, and a nation, makes the movement between individual and collective tangible by shifting between the first- and third-person perspective - with the curious twist that it renders the first-person more spectral and fantastical than the third-, whose voices seem more present and immediate. What is more intriguing, to me at least, is the pacing and plotting of the thing, which is also shifting and uneven. I found my interest waxing and waning as I read, but now I wonder if I wasn't responding to the changing speeds of the story, and the way it suddenly breaks into a trot, describing an entirely new character or set of circumstances. I want to connect this to the way the novel swings between brutality and desire such that they come to seem aligned - a cliche no doubt, but one that is somehow more dangerously thrilling here. I didn't love the book, but I do feel like I should re-read it and think about it more.
July 30, 2018
Pourquoi seulement deux étoiles pour un livre qui, au niveau du style, est un vrai régal, avec une prose d'une beauté tout à fait extraordinaire?
Le problème, c'est que, dans cette épopée familiale, Yanick Lahens couvre quelques 6 décennies où les nombreux personnages vont et viennent. Il n'en a que quelques-uns dont elle approfondit un peux les motifs, mais même eux disparaissent tout à coup. Il y en plein qui jouent un rôle secondaire, dont on ne sait absolument rien, et qu'on ne peut situer que grâce à l'arbre généalogique en annexe au livre. Le résultat, c'est que leur sort nous laisse complètement indifférent.
Le problème, c'est que, dans cette épopée familiale, Yanick Lahens couvre quelques 6 décennies où les nombreux personnages vont et viennent. Il n'en a que quelques-uns dont elle approfondit un peux les motifs, mais même eux disparaissent tout à coup. Il y en plein qui jouent un rôle secondaire, dont on ne sait absolument rien, et qu'on ne peut situer que grâce à l'arbre généalogique en annexe au livre. Le résultat, c'est que leur sort nous laisse complètement indifférent.
December 26, 2015
Une écriture très poétique pour ce roman familial, centré sur deux personnages féminins dont les histoires se font écho. Le récit a une construction originale et réussie. À lire.
Il faut noter néanmoins que les atouts d'une édition numérique n'ont pas été exploités par l'éditeur, puisque si on peut trouver en fin d'ouvrage un lexique de créole haïtien, il n'est pas accessible en cliquant directement sur les termes concernés, comme le seraient des notes de bas de page. De même, l'arbre généalogique est illisible sur liseuse.
Il faut noter néanmoins que les atouts d'une édition numérique n'ont pas été exploités par l'éditeur, puisque si on peut trouver en fin d'ouvrage un lexique de créole haïtien, il n'est pas accessible en cliquant directement sur les termes concernés, comme le seraient des notes de bas de page. De même, l'arbre généalogique est illisible sur liseuse.
March 24, 2020
Between 3 and 4 stars. Beautiful, intricately-laid writing and a promising plot, but far too many characters and far too wide a span (about 100 years) for a novel under 300 pages. The plot sort of comes together at the end, but not to the extent that one would like.
March 4, 2021
A travers l'histoire d'une lignée, Yanick Lahens retrace avec beaucoup de poésie l'histoire d'Haïti. Le dictateur François Duvalier devient sous sa plume "l’homme à chapeau noir et lunettes épaisses". Un livre qui permet de mieux connaitre ce pays et son peuple.
April 20, 2021
Me gustó mucho, pero abarca muchos personajes por décadas y décadas de historia, así que me dejó la impresión de que me estaba perdiendo de mucho. Sin embargo, la prosa es atrapante y los temas son intensos, así que es de esas lecturas que se van como agua.
May 6, 2022
Voici un récit Haitien relatant l'histoire de deux familles à travers l'histoire du pays. Un récit troublant reposant sur les croyances, les alliances maudites, la pauvreté et l'espoir trop souvent déçu.
April 5, 2021
I actually have an e-arc from Edelweiss of this book, but the version I am reviewing is the finished copy on Scribd.
Moonbath tells the saga of a peasant family living in a village in Haiti. This story is interspersed with the story of Cetoute who we first meet as she lies dead after the storm. As she pieces together what happened to her and her memories, she also tells the story of the generations that came before her.
Right off the bat, I have to say that I love the writing. Moonbath is gorgeously written and the prose is absolutely excellent. There are a lot of Haitian and French words used, but you can understand them in context and there’s a glossary in the back which really helps. The writing style is very literary and I liked the play on perspectives. There’s several characters we follow in the book, but it never feels too confusing. At the same time, I don’t think this is for everybody and personally, I think I actually picked this up at a good time when I’m exploring my tastes in literature and trying to broaden my horizons. There are definitely some things I probably did not pick up the first time and I will probably end up re-reading at some point. I think that the translator’s style is great, although I do sometimes find myself wishing I could read French so I could read this in the original.
The primary forces in the book are power and patriarchy. It shows the violence that patriarchy imposes on women, and the seduction that power has which also ends up affecting the characters in this book. The way power is presented is that it’s this seductive force which can end up being the ruin of several people in the family. While this book primarily focuses on the family saga, there’s a lot of political stuff happening in the background, tied very much to Haitian history. As the political landscape shifts, the family is swept up in it and we see how they deal with it or how they’re caught up in it.
Decades of the family’s story were covered in less than three hundred pages and it actually works. Several generations of family history presented in a tight, concise manner. In those three hundred pages, we get a glimpse into the syncretic religion practiced by the family, as well as the shifts that happen in Haiti’s history. I liked how the history was woven through the book, it felt very natural and added to the experiences that this family encountered.
I titled this review “Memories of Family” because that’s how it feels like. The book is presented like the shared memories of this family, notwithstanding the narrator in the beginning. We see through her eyes the patriarchs and matriarchs who kept their family together, who ensured their survival, and who contributed to the branches of the family tree. There’s one prominent character, Olmene who I thought would have a bigger presence, but she didn’t after she left. She remained an important character and her presence could be felt in her family’s thoughts and recollections. Still, there are a lot more characters to follow and I really liked how the multi-generational story was presented.
Overall, I enjoyed Moonbath. It’s probably not for everybody, but if you’re into literary styles of writing and family sagas, I can recommend this book. It is excellent, although sometimes harrowing so please mind the content warnings.
Moonbath tells the saga of a peasant family living in a village in Haiti. This story is interspersed with the story of Cetoute who we first meet as she lies dead after the storm. As she pieces together what happened to her and her memories, she also tells the story of the generations that came before her.
Right off the bat, I have to say that I love the writing. Moonbath is gorgeously written and the prose is absolutely excellent. There are a lot of Haitian and French words used, but you can understand them in context and there’s a glossary in the back which really helps. The writing style is very literary and I liked the play on perspectives. There’s several characters we follow in the book, but it never feels too confusing. At the same time, I don’t think this is for everybody and personally, I think I actually picked this up at a good time when I’m exploring my tastes in literature and trying to broaden my horizons. There are definitely some things I probably did not pick up the first time and I will probably end up re-reading at some point. I think that the translator’s style is great, although I do sometimes find myself wishing I could read French so I could read this in the original.
The primary forces in the book are power and patriarchy. It shows the violence that patriarchy imposes on women, and the seduction that power has which also ends up affecting the characters in this book. The way power is presented is that it’s this seductive force which can end up being the ruin of several people in the family. While this book primarily focuses on the family saga, there’s a lot of political stuff happening in the background, tied very much to Haitian history. As the political landscape shifts, the family is swept up in it and we see how they deal with it or how they’re caught up in it.
Decades of the family’s story were covered in less than three hundred pages and it actually works. Several generations of family history presented in a tight, concise manner. In those three hundred pages, we get a glimpse into the syncretic religion practiced by the family, as well as the shifts that happen in Haiti’s history. I liked how the history was woven through the book, it felt very natural and added to the experiences that this family encountered.
I titled this review “Memories of Family” because that’s how it feels like. The book is presented like the shared memories of this family, notwithstanding the narrator in the beginning. We see through her eyes the patriarchs and matriarchs who kept their family together, who ensured their survival, and who contributed to the branches of the family tree. There’s one prominent character, Olmene who I thought would have a bigger presence, but she didn’t after she left. She remained an important character and her presence could be felt in her family’s thoughts and recollections. Still, there are a lot more characters to follow and I really liked how the multi-generational story was presented.
Overall, I enjoyed Moonbath. It’s probably not for everybody, but if you’re into literary styles of writing and family sagas, I can recommend this book. It is excellent, although sometimes harrowing so please mind the content warnings.
October 2, 2020
My feelings about Moonbath are mixed. Set in impoverished rural Haiti over multiple decades, it tells the story of several generations of a family living in crushing poverty. The primary narrative voice is the voice of the people, an unspecified “we” who seem to be the family members and neighbors of the central characters as a whole. Through this voice, the author masterfully evokes the poverty, religious rituals, and attitudes of the lakou (a sort of village housing an extended family), and the effect of political machinations that have both nothing and everything to do with these people. It captures the feeling of a time and place. But the problem with all of this is that while all of this creates a sense of sympathy for the people as a whole, it was not very successful at creating well-rounded and lifelike characters.
Some of the writing was beautiful: “We spoke in sentences that said and did not say. A real game of hide and seek with ourselves. The seconds were full of words and yet cluttered with silence.” Lines like this really added to the effect I mentioned, of feeling an understanding for the people of Haiti, though not for any of the specific characters. But certain writing choices were distracting.
The prevalence of Creole terms (several per page) broke up the writing, and much of it was unnecessary. I understand wanting to use the terms that were specific to voodoo and religious beliefs, for example, but why say “griot” instead of fried pork or “jeunesse” instead of prostitute or use “paille” for marijuana? If there is an easy way to refer to a glossary on Kindle, I don't know what it is, and so just guessed from context and kept going.
I also found that the writing style interfered with my enjoyment--the author also had a habit of repeating shorter phrases as full sentences for emphasis, Such as
Year after year.
Hour after Hour
Second by second.
Some of this is fine, obviously, but I felt it was used excessively and made the writing repetitive. This was especially common with negatives, such as “He made sure that ambition never nested in any of the hearts of the lakou. None.” At one point, she used “Never” as a sentence in this way twice on one page and I almost quit reading.
Some of the writing was beautiful: “We spoke in sentences that said and did not say. A real game of hide and seek with ourselves. The seconds were full of words and yet cluttered with silence.” Lines like this really added to the effect I mentioned, of feeling an understanding for the people of Haiti, though not for any of the specific characters. But certain writing choices were distracting.
The prevalence of Creole terms (several per page) broke up the writing, and much of it was unnecessary. I understand wanting to use the terms that were specific to voodoo and religious beliefs, for example, but why say “griot” instead of fried pork or “jeunesse” instead of prostitute or use “paille” for marijuana? If there is an easy way to refer to a glossary on Kindle, I don't know what it is, and so just guessed from context and kept going.
I also found that the writing style interfered with my enjoyment--the author also had a habit of repeating shorter phrases as full sentences for emphasis, Such as
Year after year.
Hour after Hour
Second by second.
Some of this is fine, obviously, but I felt it was used excessively and made the writing repetitive. This was especially common with negatives, such as “He made sure that ambition never nested in any of the hearts of the lakou. None.” At one point, she used “Never” as a sentence in this way twice on one page and I almost quit reading.
October 14, 2025
Ce roman, je l'ai lu en ayant une pensée particulière pour Mme W., la professeur de français de mes années de quatrième et troisième. Haïti est un petit pays pour lequel elle avait une affection particulière. Elle avait d'ailleurs créé un club créatif où nous créions mille et unes choses afin de récolter des fonds au profit d'une association qui œuvrait sur le terrain. Depuis cette époque, j'aime lire des romans qui se déroulent dans ce pays pour continuer à découvrir son histoire.
Malheureusement, avec Bain de lune, je suis restée sur la plage d'Anse Bleue. Cette plage où l'histoire commence, et où cette femme est retrouvée. On va suivre son réveil à travers certains chapitres venus s'immiscer entre ceux narrant l'histoire de ces deux familles, les Lafleur et les Mésidor, dont les destins sont liés. Les seconds ont ruiné les premiers et les méprisent, mais à l'heure où le texte est écrit, l'un des leurs tombe en pâmoison devant une jeune beauté de plus de 30 ans sa cadette, la fille Lafleur. Il n'a plus qu'un but : la conquérir ! Et à partir de ce moment, le mariage lie les deux familles ! On y découvre aussi les rites vaudous, religion du pays.
Même si je sais ô combien ce roman reflète la réalité, j'ai eu énormément de mal avec la violence qui jalonne le texte, et je me suis parfois perdue dans les longues descriptions.
Malheureusement, je n'ai pas adhéré à la plume que j'ai trouvé confuse par moments et aux descriptions longues et intenses qui s'accumulent. D'ailleurs, si on manque de vigilance, ces descriptions peuvent très vite nous perdre tant il y a de personnages qui interviennent.
Et, même si je préfère les notes de bas de page pour des traductions ou définitions, je reconnais que le glossaire en fin d'ouvrage est primordial, mais malheureusement dans l'édition que j'ai lu, il est incomplet et cela nous sort de la lecture quand il faut chercher la signification d'un mot pour comprendre le texte.
🗝 Haïti - Histoire familiale - Culture vaudou - XXIe siècle
Malheureusement, avec Bain de lune, je suis restée sur la plage d'Anse Bleue. Cette plage où l'histoire commence, et où cette femme est retrouvée. On va suivre son réveil à travers certains chapitres venus s'immiscer entre ceux narrant l'histoire de ces deux familles, les Lafleur et les Mésidor, dont les destins sont liés. Les seconds ont ruiné les premiers et les méprisent, mais à l'heure où le texte est écrit, l'un des leurs tombe en pâmoison devant une jeune beauté de plus de 30 ans sa cadette, la fille Lafleur. Il n'a plus qu'un but : la conquérir ! Et à partir de ce moment, le mariage lie les deux familles ! On y découvre aussi les rites vaudous, religion du pays.
Même si je sais ô combien ce roman reflète la réalité, j'ai eu énormément de mal avec la violence qui jalonne le texte, et je me suis parfois perdue dans les longues descriptions.
Malheureusement, je n'ai pas adhéré à la plume que j'ai trouvé confuse par moments et aux descriptions longues et intenses qui s'accumulent. D'ailleurs, si on manque de vigilance, ces descriptions peuvent très vite nous perdre tant il y a de personnages qui interviennent.
Et, même si je préfère les notes de bas de page pour des traductions ou définitions, je reconnais que le glossaire en fin d'ouvrage est primordial, mais malheureusement dans l'édition que j'ai lu, il est incomplet et cela nous sort de la lecture quand il faut chercher la signification d'un mot pour comprendre le texte.
🗝 Haïti - Histoire familiale - Culture vaudou - XXIe siècle
January 27, 2018
The story of generations of a family and their village as they endure the effects of Haiti's political history during the 20th century.
I enjoyed this book. Reading it required me to use wikipedia to orient myself on Haiti's history, and the foreward also helped in identifying the two narrators. I still think I need to know more about Haiti's history to fully appreciate the novel. The most striking part of the novel was reading how the family mixed Christian and Voodoo faith into everyday thoughts and interactions. The novel paints a vibrant picture of the culture in this little village.
I enjoyed this book. Reading it required me to use wikipedia to orient myself on Haiti's history, and the foreward also helped in identifying the two narrators. I still think I need to know more about Haiti's history to fully appreciate the novel. The most striking part of the novel was reading how the family mixed Christian and Voodoo faith into everyday thoughts and interactions. The novel paints a vibrant picture of the culture in this little village.
November 7, 2018
Alors, c'est évidemment très bien écrit. Il faut s'accrocher (il y a un lexique en fin de livre avec les mots du folklore haïtien essaimés au fil de la lecture et l'ouverture du roman est faite à la première personne, en italique, en des termes étranges, d'une autre culture, on ne sait pas qui parle, c'est troublant). Ce livre décrit de façon poétique, originale, une terre d'Haïti mêlant traditions ancestrales, misères et espoirs à travers l'histoire de deux familles aux destins liés : Les Mesidor/ Lafleur... Je ne suis pas sûre de bien avoir compris la fin...
Toutes mes chroniques ici : https://chutellelit.wordpress.com/
Toutes mes chroniques ici : https://chutellelit.wordpress.com/
March 31, 2018
Great novel of intertwined stories from three generations, and perspectives of influential women. I had never read anything from a Haitian author, and unfamiliar with the political tumult in Haiti, but that didn’t stop me! I loved how Lahens weaves the three generations together. She highlights the simple life that is scared with abuse, slavery and poverty. Also, her inclusion of voodoo / spiritual rituals was a great tool to explain the life in the peasant villages. I did have to look up some political and historical references just for further clarification, but it wasn’t a distraction.
October 29, 2018
Using lush prose that manages to be simultaneously concise, this book plows through the history of Haiti through a few generations of women. As times and circumstances change, tradition, superstition, violence, sex, and power do not. The trajectory of a rural and poor family is tracked through the lives and births of its women, two voices fill the narrative, a mysterious voice from the present/future mythologizing and depicting a grand arc of history and circumstance and a more concrete physical voice, on the ground adapting to change and circumstance.
December 3, 2025
Que história bonita e bem contada!
É a saga de uma família, os Lafleur, em meio à política conturbada do Haiti em meados do século XX. Temos um fio condutor por meio da personagem Olmène e depois por sua neta, Cétoute. São histórias vividas nos planos do real, do sonho e dos espíritos. Grande romance, quero ler mais da autora Yanick Lahens.
Bela tradução, com muitas palavras do criolo haitiano, de Natália Borges Polesso.
É a saga de uma família, os Lafleur, em meio à política conturbada do Haiti em meados do século XX. Temos um fio condutor por meio da personagem Olmène e depois por sua neta, Cétoute. São histórias vividas nos planos do real, do sonho e dos espíritos. Grande romance, quero ler mais da autora Yanick Lahens.
Bela tradução, com muitas palavras do criolo haitiano, de Natália Borges Polesso.
October 25, 2018
I really enjoyed this book, and the introduction by Russell Banks was spot on. I wish this edition had included a short history of the time period the book covers, because I just don't know enough about Haiti to fully fill in all of the blanks. And a short explainer on the cosmology of the gods and spirits would have also made the book even better.
April 9, 2019
offf o son neydi...
çok fazla karakter var, bir ara kitaptan çok koptum ve hiçbir şeyi takip edemedim neredeyse ama sonlara doğru toparlandı. çok ilginç bir kitaptı, mutlaka tekrar okumam lazım ki neyin ne olduğunu iyice anlayabileyim.
3.5'tan 4 verdim.
çok fazla karakter var, bir ara kitaptan çok koptum ve hiçbir şeyi takip edemedim neredeyse ama sonlara doğru toparlandı. çok ilginç bir kitaptı, mutlaka tekrar okumam lazım ki neyin ne olduğunu iyice anlayabileyim.
3.5'tan 4 verdim.
October 23, 2022
The narrative perspectives are smart and powerful, particularly the sections narrated by the collective voice of the community ("she told us that..."), but I expected a lot more substance from this book than I got, and I was not impressed with Lahens' handling of rape.
August 8, 2017
Here's my review:
http://www.thewoventalepress.net/2017...
http://www.thewoventalepress.net/2017...
November 14, 2017
I got this with my last Call Number box, I might have to resubscribe. I started thumbing through it and then suddenly couldn't put it down until I finished it
April 7, 2018
thoroughly enjoyed it - but there are so many typos it nags at the narrative
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